UCLA Bruins' Shabazz Muhammad's Draft Stock

By Trevor Lowry

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Shabazz Muhammad had a great freshman season with the UCLA Bruins, despite the team not winning an NCAA tournament or having a deep run in the dance in general. Still, Muhammad is one of the top prospects for the 2013 NBA Draft. How is that draft stock looking though?

Muhammad seems like a lock for the top 10, according to many mock drafts floating around the internet, but there are some mocks out there that have him falling out of the top 10. Still, he will be a lottery pick at the very least.

Muhammad is one of the best players entering the draft, though, thanks to his ability to score at will. He put up 17.9 points per game as a freshman and also grabbed 5.2 rebounds per game. Shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from behind the arc is also pretty good in college hoops.

He has the talent to start right away, but we will have to wait and see if that will actually be the case. Everyone knows that Muhammad can score the ball, but his defensive abilities are still in question. He stands at 6’6”, so Muhammad may be a little undersized at the small forward position, but that should not be a big deal at all. Playing at the shooting guard position is also an option.

This is a player that was considered by some to be the best incoming freshman for the 2012-13 college basketball season and he still could make that case–on paper. Muhammad was great this season and he should be rewarded by being a top five pick in the NBA draft, but that does not seem like it will actually happen. More than likely, Muhammad looks like he will get picked up at No. 8 spot or so.